Press Releases
Posey Writes to House Budget Committee About Space Flight Gap
Washington,
March 12, 2009
Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) has written to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee asking that the Committee make sufficient funding available in the 2010 Budget Resolution for closing the space flight gap.
Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) has written to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee asking that the Committee make sufficient funding available in the 2010 Budget Resolution for closing the space flight gap. The Text of Congressman Posey's letter is below: March 11, 2009 The Honorable John M. Spratt, Jr. The Honorable Paul Ryan Chairman Ranking Member House Committee on the Budget House Committee on the Budget 207 Cannon House Office Building Room B71, Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515 Dear Chairman Spratt and Ranking Member Ryan: As the House Committee on the Budget prepares the Budget Resolution for Fiscal Year 2010, I ask that the Committee designate sufficient funding for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to move forward with manned space flight programs. Information currently available regarding NASA’s budget for 2010 by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is very brief, lacks specifics and makes only cursory references to the Space Shuttle’s scheduled retirement in 2010 and the “development of new space flight systems for carrying American crews and supplies to space.” While the President’s budget requests an overall increase to NASA for FY 2010, I write the Committee to request that the House Budget Resolution allocate sufficient funding to close the gap as much as possible between the Space Shuttle’s retirement and the Space Shuttle’s successor, Constellation. This gap should be closed from both ends. I would ask the Committee to provide sufficient funding for NASA to extend Shuttle flights beyond 2010, while ensuring that funding is available also to bring the Constellation program on-line sooner than anticipated. I ask the Committee to make both of these programs a priority. This is important for our nation’s leadership in space and for the thousands of workers and their families who will be affected. The United States boasts the finest space exploration programs in the world, and we jeopardize our leadership in this important area if we fail to recognize and address the uncertainty surrounding the continuity of our manned space flight programs. Sincerely, /s/ Bill Posey Member of Congress |
